Extending MotorGuide Gateway Cable

[Albertan]

Setting up my Xi5 and Carbon 12 on the bow of my boat. I thought I just needed to connect the Xi5's NMEA connector to my backbone (located at my console) with a standard NMEA cable. Went to Motorguide's website and realized I need a special NMEA Gateway cable to get the Carbon units to recognize it and get it functioning through the Carbons. So I ordered the Gateway cable and realized it's only 6' long...that's not long enough to make it to my backbone. Watching another video on MotorGuide's site, they don't recommend extending the Gateway cable, but rather to locate a backbone close to the Xi5 and then extend that "mini-backbone" to your main backbone (go to 4:09 in the attached video if this doesn't make sense). My question is whether this is really necessary. I'd really rather just extend the gateway cable to my main backbone under my console. Has anyone extended the Gateway cable, and if so what were your results? Thanks.

https://youtu.be/nVkztApaAvw

[Ltrain]

Originally Posted by Albertan

Setting up my Xi5 and Carbon 12 on the bow of my boat. I thought I just needed to connect the Xi5's NMEA connector to my backbone (located at my console) with a standard NMEA cable. Went to Motorguide's website and realized I need a special NMEA Gateway cable to get the Carbon units to recognize it and get it functioning through the Carbons. So I ordered the Gateway cable and realized it's only 6' long...that's not long enough to make it to my backbone. Watching another video on MotorGuide's site, they don't recommend extending the Gateway cable, but rather to locate a backbone close to the Xi5 and then extend that "mini-backbone" to your main backbone (go to 4:09 in the attached video if this doesn't make sense). My question is whether this is really necessary. I'd really rather just extend the gateway cable to my main backbone under my console. Has anyone extended the Gateway cable, and if so what were your results? Thanks.

https://youtu.be/nVkztApaAvw

Why would you want to do something that the manufacturer explicitly tells you not to do, due to the fact that there will be reduced performance? You have to run a cable to the backbone anyway what's hard about adding the 2 inch piece?

[Hawker]

Just install it as depicted in the video you referred to. It's pretty much the "norm", the "standard" and "basic" install.

[Hot Runr Guy]

Just to play devil's advocate here, how much of an extension are you needing?

HRG

[Albertan]

Well, to be clear, the reason I don't want to extend the backbone as they suggest is I am a 250lb guy and I have to squeeze my head, one arm, and half my torso through a 10 X 14" access hatch and reach at arms length to work on my NMEA backbone. With the upgrading I am doing, I will have a T open to just connect the gateway to the existing backbone. To disassemble the existing backbone and extend it will be considerably more work. I also don't take much Lowrance, a company that has been all too happy to take my money over the years only to turn around and provide shabby support, says as gospel. Thirdly, it doesn't make sense to me that adding another T and more connections in-line between the Xi5 and the main NMEA backbone under my console is going to result in *better* performance.

But on the other hand, I am squeezing under the console regardless as mentioned. And since I now require two runs from my bow for the Xi5 and Carbon 12, it may be less work in the long run to just use the existing cable from the bow HDS 12 to extend the backbone, and make a mini backbone at the bow for the Xi5 and Carbon 12. I may also run an external puck at the bow as well, which is another argument for doing it the way MotorGuide recommends in the video.

BTW, the run is probably about 6-8 feet in total. The 6' Gateway cable might be long enough, but I doubt it.

[Hawker]

Does not require a 2nd run from bow to console. Two (2) "T's" at the bow and use the run you already have. Very simple actually!